In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, selected roses sit in a tray before being put through a chemical process to extract their natural red color, infuse them with a new one, and preserve them at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. The two-day process involves cutting the flower at full bloom, dipping it into a plant-based solution to extract the natural colors and then infusing it with a pigment of the customer's choice. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, selected roses sit in a tray before being put through a chemical process to extract their natural red color, infuse them with a new one, and preserve them at the flower farm ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 2 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, Stalin Diaz holds a tray of roses whose natural colors have been extracted, right, and a tray of roses before their color is removed through a chemical process at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. The technology has been around for decades and is especially popular in Japan, but in Ecuador it took root only recently as a result of an economic crisis that forced flower growers to diversify their offerings and focus on higher-end products. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, Stalin Diaz holds a tray of roses whose natural colors have been extracted, right, and a tray of roses before their color is removed through a chemical process at the flower farm ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 3 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, rose petals are left translucent after their natural colors have been extracted, and before being infused with a customer's chosen pigment at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. The petals conserve their natural softness and require no sunlight or water to last a year or more. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, rose petals are left translucent after their natural colors have been extracted, and before being infused with a customer's chosen pigment at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 4 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, multi-colored roses that were put through a chemical process to preserve and recolor them sit in a box at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. In a warehouse north of Ecuador's capital, a small army of workers prepare shipments of made-to-order roses with tones as diverse as the colors of a rainbow. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, multi-colored roses that were put through a chemical process to preserve and recolor them sit in a box at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. In a warehouse north of ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 5 of 13

Image 6 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, flower workers Lorena Silva, right, and Patricia Cordova puts the final touches on roses that were chemically-treated to change their colors and preserve them, at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. The roughly $15 million in preserved flowers sold by Ecuador's farms represent only a tiny fraction of the more than $800 million the country's flower industry exports annually. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, flower workers Lorena Silva, right, and Patricia Cordova puts the final touches on roses that were chemically-treated to change their colors and preserve them, at the flower farm ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 7 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, selected roses are submerged in a chemical bath to extract their color, before being dyed a different color and preserved, at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. The two-day process involves cutting the flower at full bloom, dipping it into a plant-based solution to extract the natural colors and then infusing it with a pigment of the customer's choice. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, selected roses are submerged in a chemical bath to extract their color, before being dyed a different color and preserved, at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. The ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 8 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, flower farm worker Lorena Silva puts final touches on a chemically-colored and preserved rose at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. Each petal is custom made for foreign clients whose orders multiply every year in the run up to Valentine's Day. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, flower farm worker Lorena Silva puts final touches on a chemically-colored and preserved rose at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. Each petal is custom made for ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 9 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, chemically preserved roses that were dyed various colors sit boxed for export at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. "Preserved flowers are a way for Ecuador to carve out a niche in certain countries," said Alejandro Martinez, president of Ecuador's flower exporters' association. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, chemically preserved roses that were dyed various colors sit boxed for export at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. "Preserved flowers are a way for Ecuador to carve ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 10 of 13

Image 11 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, flower worker Stalin Diaz removes trays of chemically preserved roses whose natural colors were extracted in order to dye them with a customer's chosen pigment, at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. This flower farm is one of a dozen firms in Ecuador that has woken up to the potential of preserved flowers, which last a year or more. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, flower worker Stalin Diaz removes trays of chemically preserved roses whose natural colors were extracted in order to dye them with a customer's chosen pigment, at the flower farm ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 12 of 13

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, selected roses sit in a tray before being put through a chemical process to extract their natural yellow color, infuse them with a new one, and preserve them, at the flower farm Sisapamba in Tabacundo, Ecuador. The two-day process involves cutting the flower at full bloom, dipping it into a plant-based solution to extract the natural colors and then infusing it with a pigment of the customer's choice. less

In this Feb. 8, 2018 photo, selected roses sit in a tray before being put through a chemical process to extract their natural yellow color, infuse them with a new one, and preserve them, at the flower farm ... more

Photo: Dolores Ochoa, AP

Image 13 of 13

Preserved roses bring Valentine's Day sales jolt to Ecuador

1 / 13

Back to Gallery

TABACUNDO, Ecuador (AP) — In a warehouse north of Ecuador's capital, a small, busy army of dexterous workers puts the final touches on a shipment of made-to-order roses with tones as diverse as the colors of a rainbow suffused in fragrance capable of seducing even the most demanding nose.

Each petal is custom made for foreign clients whose orders multiply every year in the run up to Valentine's Day. For example, a client in Qatar recently ordered a shipment in the maroon and white colors of that nation's flag.

"It's a small detail that makes a beautiful gift," says Patricia Cordova, admiring her delicate work on a lilac-colored flower bound for Germany.

Cordova works at Sisapamba, one of a dozen companies in this South American nation that have woken up to the potential of preserved flowers. The two-day process involves cutting a flower at full bloom, dipping it into a plant-based solution to extract the natural colors and then infusing it with a pigment of the customer's choice. Additional colors and designs are applied using an airbrush.

The result is a multicolored bouquet as vibrant as a painter's palette but whose petals keep their natural softness and require no sunlight or water to last a year or more.

The technology has been around for decades and is especially popular in Japan. But in Ecuador, the world's second-largest exporter of roses, it took root only recently, as a result of an economic crisis that forced flower growers to diversify their offerings and focus on higher-end products.

A glut of fresh-cut flowers driven by new producers such as the African nations of Kenya and Uganda has depressed global prices for roses, while Ecuador's use of the U.S. dollar has cost local growers competitiveness against rivals in Colombia, where the peso has lost nearly half its value since 2014.

Still, the roughly $15 million in preserved flowers sold by Ecuador's farms represent only a tiny fraction of the more than $800 million that the country's flower industry exports annually. In 2017, Ecuador delivered 14,300 tons of flowers in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day and this year exports are forecast to surpass 15,000 tons.

"Preserved flowers are a way for Ecuador to carve out a niche in certain countries," said Alejandro Martinez, president of Ecuador's flower exporters' association.